Related Posts

• 
  How to photograph your Christmas Tree

  The holidays are coming and with them come a lot of photo ops. Want to take them up a notch? How about getting a little star burst on your Christmas tree lights or Menorah candles? This is a fun little trick that will give your holiday photos a little extra sparkle.

  It is important that you have a tripod for this, as we will be working with longer exposures. You will also need a camera where you can control the exposure, like a DSLR or a bridge point and shoot.

  Now, in a semi-dim room with candles or Christmas lights lit, position the tripod where you would like it. Now we fiddle with the exposure. My usual starting place is f/16, ISO 200, shutter speed 15 seconds--see why we need the tripod? I also will put my camera on a 2 second delay, so when I hit the shutter, it isn't affected by any movement of the camera when i push the button.

  (If you do not own a tripod, you can also set your camera on a table or s chair or the arm of a couch. Just make sure that wherever you place it, it will remain 100% still, and is also 100% safe!)

  The critical part here is the f/16. (Go higher if you want or can! Mine were shot at F22) You need to be able to close your aperture as tightly as it will go or very close. (Some lenses can close up to f/32, some only go to f/16. The point is to close it up tight.) Fiddle with your shutter speed and ISO to get the right balance of light, but keep your aperture closed. Depending on your camera, you may have to have a longer shutter speed, if your camera can not handle higher ISO's well. It is the high aperture that gets you the star burst, so this is pretty much non-negotiable.

  Another key point is to use the self-timer. Even if you have your camera on a tripod, when you hit the shutter button, there will be just a tiny bit of shake or movement. If you use the 2 second self timer, that allows you to press the shutter and move your hand away from the camera, so nothing is touching it while the camera is taking the picture.

  

  Below is a pull back shot of the tree lights, with the up close shot being above. (In this small size, the full shot won't have the same punch with the lights as it would in a larger image.)

  

  

  

  My settings for the image above. :)

  Using the technique above here are pictures from last Christmas

  

• 
  Law 101: Protecting Your Art--by Rachel Brenke

  We are so so pleased to have photography law and business guru, Rachel Brenke as a guest blogger. Her knowledge is so very valuable and we are grateful to have her sharing her insights on how to run a safe business and how to protect the art you create.

  Law 101: Protecting Your Art
  Rachel Brenke, Esq

   

  With the onslaught of social media and digital files/products comes the true reality that ethics and law are not always followed. In fact, while ignorance is no excuse, often the masses are misinformed as to what is allowed in the digital age. The most prominent issues photographers face include the illegal downloading (or screen capture) of unpurchased photographs for print, sharing of digital items, stealing of photographs to pad portfolio and posting of another’s work as an example to clients.

  What if I want to share someone else’s picture for inspiration?

  There has been a recent trend where photographers have taken to sharing photographs of photographers that inspire them to demonstrate to the clients their vision for an upcoming session. This has been done through sharing on social media sites including pinning on Pinterest. There is a grey area of danger in this sharing as it is misleading to the client, often done without permission of photographer, and many times the proper credit is not attributed. When in doubt, don’t share it. When in doubt, don’t pin it.
  All photographers should look to others that provide inspiration, but if you’d like to collect an inspiration board of other photographers ensure it is specifically labeled as separate from your own work and/or create another profile.

  What can I do to protect myself?

  Stealing is such a nasty word but that is what it is. Whenever clients download files from the website without permission it is stealing. Whenever a photographer claims another’s work as their own it is stealing. There are a few different ways to protect yourself. Sometimes it is simply a grey area of sharing a photograph, even with appropriate credit, or another photographer using the same business name or tag line. There are several options for protecting yourself and your business.

  One option is that of a trademark or copyright. Trademarking is the act of identifying and distinguishing the source of goods of one party from that of another (i.e. words, phrases, designs, symbols, etc.). Copyright is the protection an artist has over “original works of authorship”. Both of these are tools to protect yourself, however, must be distinguished to understand whether you are protected or need to take action. Ownership of copyright for a photograph is created at the time the photograph is created. Trademarking is not acquired until submitted formally through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Link to Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/
  Copyright is typically done for photographs (although no formal process required) while trademarking is typically done to reserve your company name, logo, catch phrase or slogan.

  The second option is to embed copyright in your photograph/product. This can be done in the processing program of choice. The following pictures are how to embed copyright/ownership information into the photograph. This will sometimes work to prevent labs from printing these files outside the guidelines embedded in the photograph’s data.

  #1 Open Picture
  #2 File > File Info
  #3 Enter Info
  #4 Click OK

   

  
  

  
  

  The third option is to watermark your photographs. Simply placing a watermark on the photograph may deter some individuals. This option, by itself, does not fully protect you nor keep others from stealing. Just as social media is in every house, editing programs are increasingly common, making the tools to remove a watermark readily accessible.

  The fourth option is to include your information and copyright information on picture captions whenever uploaded to the Internet. This, again, isn’t full protection but may deter or remind individuals of the copyright laws.

  The final option, which is primarily for clients, is to provide a Copyright Informational Card with their order as a gentle reminder of copyright laws and your reproduction guidelines.

  What if they continue to violate my copyright?

  The most simple answer, ask them to stop. Many times clients are unaware their actions violate your policies and copyright, despite being outlined in the signed photography agreement. Citing the appropriate copyright law and policies in a politely written communication will often encourage someone to cease their actions, especially if they were “unaware” that what they are doing is wrong. If this communication fails to achieve this a formal writing of a Cease and Desist letter may be required. These can be written informally by simply citing the actions, citing the appropriate copyright laws, demanding they quit these actions, providing consequences for failure to comply, and institute a deadline. An alternative is to utilize an attorney drafted Cease and Desist form and/or hire an attorney.

  Cease and Desist
  

  No matter the method of protection you choose, be true to yourself and your business. Inform others, inform yourself. This does you, others and the photography industry a great service.

   

  Rachel Brenke

   

  
  

  Rachel Brenke is a photographer, lawyer, business consultant and social media marketing strategist based out of El Paso, Texas.  She has helped over a thousand photographers start up, market and maintain their businesses through online eWorkshops, 1:1 consulting and the free resources on her blog. She also has contracts for photographers that were designed for photographers by a photographer and attorney!

  Snag your free copy her free Legal Lens eBook by Rachel Brenke.

  Note: These legal tips are based on United States legal principles. Please seek out advice for your country.

• 
  Google+ FAQ: Removing Your Home Address from your Page and Business/Personal or both?

  
  

  Google+ is growing!  If the number of serious questions we are getting about the long-term impact of choices users making now is any indication, there is a huge movement afoot and people are settling in for the long haul.  Kind of exciting to see this movement.

  So we find ourselves answering a few questions over and over.  So, I will be gathering questions we get each day and compiling them into blog posts to help new users navigate the new social waters of Google+ with ease.

  Today there are two I want to address.

  1)  "ACK!  My home address is showing on my business page!  Make it stop!"
  

  Most photographers set up local business pages on Google+.  There are some great reasons for doing this.  They are integrated in Google maps.  They get a nifty little pin when people search any Google Map in their area.  This also is pretty important for Google's growing interest in "Semantic Search."   What is semantic search?  Google is moving towards evolving their search engines from answering short queries to being abe to decipher longer, speech-like questions.  With the advent or SIRI and other devices that search Google via your natural questions, Google is trying to nimbly adapt.  So the more Google knows about you and your business, the more comfortable it is to use it as an answer to people's queries.  So, "Who is the best children's portrait photographer by me?" will use your Google+ profile, looking at how many people have +1ed you and are following you and like your images, the fact you say you are a children's photographer and have hashtagged yourself as such on Google+ and tagged your blog posts, which are linked to your G+ site, and finally, it will use your local information and compare it to the searchers' IP address location and BAM, there you are as Google's top pick.

  OK, so those are some of the reasons that people choose to have their service area available to Google.  But some people do not want their entire home address shown, if they work from home.  According to Google, you will need to go into your listing editor, beneath your address information in your page dashboard and check the box that says "My business has service areas where I visit customers at their locations."  This will allow you to put in your city, state and zip code so that you can still be located locally.  Do not check the box that you serve customers at your location if you do not want your address to be displayed.

  2)  "Should I be using my business page or my personal page on Google+?"

  Both.

  No really.

  Obviously having a strong brand page that represents your brand and shows your work and answers questions and networks with people is wonderful.  But you can also be a point of contact for clients in a personal way too.  It is easier for people to befriend and understand a person sometimes vs. a logo.  At Pure, we try to be very friendly and sociable on our page, but we are even more personal and human on our personal pages.  The beauty of circles is that I can keep aspects of my life separate.  I can put my friends in the friend circles, my family in my family circle, and people I am following into a following circle.  For people who are following me, I can post publicly.  Then all my circles and followers (those who follow me, but are not circled) can see my content.  If I want to share a cute image of my baby, or share an interesting blog post I read I can post publicly and everyone can see.  If I don't want people I am not following to see, I can post to JUST my circles.  If I want JUST my friends and family to see, I can close it up even tighter.  If I am posting about the annual family picnic location, I can JUST share to my family circle.  And if I am JUST posting a little love note to my husband, I can share it with JUST him.  Easy peasy to do right in the composition box.

  Keeping business a little personal helps to build trust and relationships.  But posting socially also provides a cushier landing place for clients as they investigate Google+ to meet their social needs.  So, putting yourself out there a little and being friendly on your personal page is important.

  Another thing to note:  Google Authorship is tired to your personal page and Google Publisher is tied to your Business page.  I will go more deeply into these, but they can augment your perceived trustworthiness and authority in Google search as Google will give you a little byline and image alongside some search content from you if Google feels you pass muster.  So clearly, Google is giving signals that they think you should have both pages.

   

• 
  Getting your photography clients to Google+

  So everyone is talking about the AMAZING photography community on Google+.  They are absolutely correct.  It is amazing.  Petty drama and bickering are non-existent.  People are reaching out and helping each other to get established and excited.  It's a pretty cool and hopeful feeling.

  The chances for education are endless.  There are groups and images everywhere.  (If you're interested, stop by our constructive criticism forum where we have a lot of lively, but polite, conversation going on.  We're even working towards CPP certification.  Indeed.)

  And of course, the hot topic of the moment, the SEO opportunities.  Working with Google+ and getting your website linked and going will mean that all of your posts and +1s and follows will be pushing you up the organic Google search scale.  In fact, at this point, NOT being on Google+ is probably hurting you more than you know.

  But if the general public is only JUST starting to see that Facebook is no longer meeting their needs and starting to realize that Google+ is a very viable alternative, how is it going to help you with customers?

  Well, this is my plan, and it is genius, if I do say so myself.  ;)

  Our plan with Pure has always been to do multiple sneak peeks for clients, so they stay excited about their images.  But one of THE most exciting sneaks for clients is the one that happens a day or so after the shoot.  Our new plan is to direct the clients to Google+ to see their new sneak peeks.  We will also do a little contest where if they can get a certain number of friends and family members to add us to a circle and follow us and comment on the image (so we know they came from the client!), then we will throw in a free product.

  Ok, so they came ONCE.  How does that help?

  Well.  Did you know that your site will come up VERY highly in organic Google searches if someone has you in a circle?  So now not only does your client have you circled, but so do people very much like your client.  Probably local people too.  You'll be on their Google maps.  You'll be in their search results.  Google will be all about hooking you guys up.

  Besides, images look a MILLION times better on Google+.  Which is awesome too.

  So, until the rest of the world catches up to the wave that we're right in front of, this is how we plan to use Google+ to easily drive organic business to us.

• 
  Traveling with your Gear!

  So you booked that ever-sought-after destination wedding!!! Congrats! It is a lot of photographers' dream! How amazing is it to not only get to shoot a wedding, but get paid to travel and shoot?!

  But now the big question....

  How do you safely travel with your gear and also protect your clients images while traveling? You don't get to drive from your house to the wedding, and throw everything into your trunk, nor do you get to drive straight home after the wedding, and download your images.

  Well, here is how WE travel with ours.

  Tomorrow we head out to shoot an amazing wedding in Honolulu. We couldn't be any more excited then we are, but also every time we travel with our gear, we get nervous.

  (photos taken with our cell phones)

  We have our two carry-on rolling camera bags that holds the majority of our gear. (Yes, I know a lens cap was missing. I took the lens off of my camera and replaced it with the 50mm 1.2 as I was using the 16-35mm, to fit it into my camera bag to take the photo, and forgot to put the lens cap back on)

  
  

  
  

  Between Rachel and I, we check 4 pieces of luggage. 2 of them have 4 lightstands, large diffuser panels, chargers for the AA eneloop batteries and other photography related items. The other 2 pieces of luggage are obviously personal items, like clothes and such.

  The gear above may look like it is overkill, but I promise you it is not. We are paid to get the shots no matter what, even if we don't know the lighting situation we are going into. We also are paid to make sure that our clients' images get home safe.

  Now imagine that you are boarding a plane and find out that they can not accommodate your rolling bag with all your camera gear. They are asking kindly for you to check your bag. First don't freak... because after this blog post you are prepared!

  In my personal item that they allow you to carry on (usually a very large purse or backpack), I have my wallet, my ipad and other things necessary to travel on the plane. I also have a couple of tshirts. However, we also have either our Shoot Sac on us, or another bag of some kind stuffed into the bottom. Usually they are asking you to check your bag because there is not enough room for your suitcase in the overhead bin. (Reason #1 to check into your flight as early as you are allowed--to get a better boarding position and lower the risk).

  I then quietly inform the flight attendant of what is inside my bag, and ask if there is any way they can make it work. If they say no, I then proceed to remove my 2nd bag or Shoot Sac, and start stuffing cameras and lenses in that bag. I will not let my gear go under the plane and out of my sight.

  So I put as many lenses as I can in my Shoot Sac, and then the rest of the lenses or cameras and memory cards in my purse/backpack. I will stick a flash or two in my pockets if need be. I will then give them my nearly-empty bag.

  I can then almost always find a spot for my backpack in the overhead bins.

  I just refuse to let them take all that gear under the plane where it is out of my sight and control.

  We have insurance on our gear (and also insurance on us as a business) through Package Choice, but by the time I land and realize that my gear was either broken, or stolen and I file a claim, I won't have my replacement gear before the wedding or shoot that I was hired to shoot. I try to take every single precaution necessary.

  So what do we do to protect the images we shoot? Obviously we can't run home and back up immediately, and we need to run the gauntlet of packing and unpacking and airline travel between the wedding shoot and getting home to download. So, I bring my laptop and we each have external hard drives that are made for traveling (they have little hard cases they sit inside) and we download immediately to each of these each evening. (That way Rachel has a backup of Crystal's images and Crystal has a backup of Rachels images) (This external hard drive also sits in our carry on bag). We also bring a TON of memory. Over 260GB worth of cards. So we shoot to these cards and we do NOT reformat or erase ANY. Plus, we shoot Canon 5D Mark IIIs and we shoot to two cards, so there is a back up inside the camera, as well. So, we have at least 4 backups of every image. Two externals, the original cards, and the back-up cards that stay inside the cameras. We travel with these in separate bags. So we are as insured as possible against corruption of data, loss of images, etc.

  And finally, we bring all of this so that we can easily tackle any situation possible. If something breaks, it's ok. We have multiple back-ups. If the situation is not what we anticipated, it's ok, we have as many options as possible to come up with a good answer. It might seem like overkill to some, but we're paid to capture this once-in-a-lifetime day, and we take it very very seriously, and we don't accept or offer any excuses for ourselves.

  P.S.
  On top of all of our gear, we also bring a 2nd shooter. (Yes there are already two of us, but we shoot as a team, not 1st and 2nd shooter, so we bring a 2nd shooter to help out at most weddings, so we can team shoot. That will be explained in another post.)

  Our seconds also come with their gear.
  
• 
  Knowing your gear

  As a photographer, our gear is our livelihood.  It is what we use to make the money that pays our bills and pays for more gear.  It is one of the most vital if not the most vital possession we have as photographers.

  Because of this, we need to take all necessary precautions to protect this asset.  Our gear is not cheap.

  I have known photographers who have had gear stolen at weddings, or shoots.  They turn their back for just a couple seconds, and it is gone.  Gear has been stolen out of cars and houses.

  What happens if your gear gets stolen?

  First you need to have Insurance.  If you are taking photographs for anyone, you need to have insurance.  I am sorry but this is not negotiable.

  Do not think it can't happen to you.  That you won't get sued, because you are shooting for free, or only charging $50 or that your gear won't get stolen.

  There will also come times that in order to shoot at a specific location your clients want, the venue will require proof of insurance.  It has happened to us and it may happen to you at some point as you grow in your photography career.

  We use Package Choice. We love them.

  When you do get insurance, they will ask for some of this information.  So it is good to have on hand and ready.

  Also I take photos of all my gear with the serial number showing.  I keep those for my records.  That way there is never any dispute that the gear was in my possession.

  It is also good to register all of your gear!  If you are Canon go HERE. If you are Nikon go HERE.
  

  If your gear is stolen, trying to frantically file a police report and trying to gather all the information about your gear is not something you want to worry about.

  I have a spreadsheet that I created that lists the Make/Model/Date Purchased/Price Purchased for/ and most importantly the serial number of my gear.

  I have uploaded this for you to have for free. :)  Start the new year off right!

  Even if you are just a mom with a camera, you never know if your camera will get stolen or lost and this is a good resource to have.  :)

   

  
  

   

  To find where your serial numbers are located on your gear, you can Google "Where is my serial number located on such and such lens or such and such camera".  I have uploaded a couple of photos of my gear, and where the serial numbers were located to give you an idea.  I only shoot Canon, so I am not sure if Nikon is the same.

  
  

   

   

   

  
  

  To use this download the zip file by clicking on the spreadsheet above or by clicking HERE. 

  I am sure that there are many other ways to keep track of your serial numbers and your camera gear. :)  This is just one of the many ways.  It works for me, and if it isn't broke don't fix it. :)  I love spreadsheets, and use them for everything!  From balancing our checkbook to all the bills for our house and when they are due and payments made, to photography expenses, keeping track of millage and all kinds of stuff.  If you find this helpful, maybe we will share our other spreadsheets in the future. :)